A Lesson in Love
by lilynicole1313
Summary: Dean Winchester's growing lonely, but what he doesn't have in mind is the mystery woman Castiel and Gabriel drop off one night. It's hate at first sight for the two and no matter what, neither is happy with what the other does. Warning: Character Death; AU. Sequel to 'Better Late Than Never'. Dean/OC; Sam/OC. R&R please! :)
1. Chapter 1

Chapter One

Aurora Philips tucked in her little brother, kissing his forehead. "Sleep tight, Tyler." The four-year-old smiled sleepily at her as she shut the door, leaving it cracked. "He's in bed, Mom."

"Thank you." Caroline Philips smiled at her daughter.

"Anything else?" She asked, yawning.

"No, sweetheart. Your father should be-" The two women heard a car pull up. "He's home."

Kevin Philips ran inside, leaving the door wide open as a second Kevin Philips followed. "Caroline, silver!" He gasped. "Aurora, go!"

"No!" She shrieked as the shapeshifter snapped his neck in front of her. "Mom, hurry!"

Caroline tossed her daughter a small, sharp silver knife. "Run!"

"Mom, go get Tyler! I'll take care of the shifter." She glared at the monster. "Come at me, bastard."

Instead, it pulled Kevin's gun off his corpse and shot his wife in the back three times, running up the stairs. "Are you going to kill your own father?" It asked, taunting her. "I'll kill the boy."

"Daddy?" Tyler's small voice looked up at the shifter. "I love you." He wrapped his arms around the monster.

"Tyler, that's not Dad. Come here."

"No!" He refused.

Aurora barely registered the gunshot as her brother's lifeless body hit the floor. She let the knife go, aiming directly for the shifter's heart. But before it died, it pushed her down the stairs and knocked her unconscious.

That same night in Lebanon, Kansas, Dean Winchester was stretched out on the couch, about to fall asleep. Sam was away on his honeymoon with his wife, Zoey, leaving Dean bored. The one person he could mess with no matter what wouldn't be back for another two weeks. Suddenly, the flap of wings alerted him to an angel's presence; Castiel stood a few feet away from him, standing beside Gabriel. The sweets-loving archangel held a beautiful woman in his arms. It looked as if she was sleeping. "What's going on?" Dean asked sharply.

"She needs to stay here, Dean. It's the safest place for her." Cas said simply.

"Um, okay. There's an empty bedroom next to mine."

The two angels carefully placed her on the bed. "Thank you." Gabriel muttered. "We should go, Cas."

"When is she gonna wake up?"

"Soon." Then they vanished.

"Freaking angels." Dean closed the door, going back to the couch.

He dozed off but, hearing a gun cock, he sat up suddenly, staring into the bright violet eyes of the mystery woman. "Don't move." She ordered. "Are you a shifter?"

"Uh, no."

"Prove it." She tossed him a silver knife; it looked like one from the kitchen.

He frowned but cut himself with the knife. "Happy?"

"No." She took the knife back, trading it for a flask of water. "Drink." When he did, she yanked the flask away from him. "Who are you and why have you brought me to this Men of Letters bunker?"

"I'm Dean Winchester and-"

She snorted. "You're Dean Winchester? Funny how the myth is so much more than the real thing. I thought you'd be taller."

He scowled. "I didn't bring you here. Castiel and Gabriel did."

"Who?"

"Angels, dumbass."

"Angels don't exist."

"Don't believe me then." He shrugged, flicking his hand out suddenly and taking the gun away from her. "Now, who are you and how do you know about the Men of Letters?"

"Aurora Philips." She regarded him with suspicion in her narrowed eyes. "I'm part of a seven generation Men of Letters legacy." She pointed to the Aquarian star necklace around her neck. "So how did a hunter know about this place?"

Dean raised an eyebrow at her. Her tone was really pissing him off. "The Men of Letters massacre in the 50s. Nobody survived, but my grandfather, Henry Winchester, did a spell and landed himself in my hotel room. He gave the key to my brother and me."

"I've heard about him. He was very influential until his disappearance." Aurora finally relaxed. "Are you going to tell me why you brought me here now?"

"I didn't." Dean gritted his teeth.

"Like I said, angels don't exist. So tell me the truth, Winchester."

As she was talking, Castiel had appeared behind her. "Hello, Dean."

Aurora jumped about a foot into the air. "Who the hell-how did you get in here?"

"I'm Castiel, Aurora. I'm an angel of the Lord."

Her eyes widened and she turned to Dean, who had a satisfied smirk on his face. "Hey Cas. Mind telling me why you and Gabriel dropped her off last night?"

"She's being hunted by a very powerful, malevolent witch. The bunker is the only place with warding powerful enough to hide her."

"Great." Dean groaned. "What'd she do?"

"Nothing, but this witch is the firstborn of Lucifer and Lilith. However, with Lilith dead and Lucifer," Cas paused, "out of the picture, she's safest here."

"Lucifer's still in the cage with Michael." Dean's voice was dangerously calm.

"I'll explain everything when I can, but Dean, there's another war coming. Be careful." He looked around. "Where's Sam?"

"On his honeymoon."

"Call me when he and Zoey get back." With that, Castiel disappeared.

Aurora sank down onto the chair behind her. "How did the Men of Letters miss the existence of angels?" She muttered, more to herself than Dean.

Her long golden blonde hair, gathered in a messy ponytail, accentuated her angular, flawless face. "They weren't missing anything. Bunch of winged dicks, really."

"This Castiel saved my life." She snapped. "He's not a dick."

"He can be. Saved you from what?"

"None of your business."

Dean sighed, standing to his feet. "I'm going out. Be back later."

He drove to the grocery store, in need of beer and pie. On the way there, he decided that what he really needed was Sam back. Picking up his phone, he dialed his brother's number, but it went straight to voicemail. "Figures." He grumbled, locking the door of his precious baby before going into the store.

Dean Winchester was not looking forward to the next two weeks.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter Two

Two weeks later, Dean was eating breakfast in the kitchen, only because Aurora was at the table and he wanted nothing more than for Castiel to take her back where she came from. "Winchester, if you're going to burn the toast every morning, I'll make breakfast from now on." She complained.

"No thanks. I don't feel like getting poisoned anytime soon." He retorted, opening his first beer of the day.

"It's not even seven-thirty."

"Your point?"

"Don't you think it's way too early to be drinking?" She asked haughtily.

"Don't you think it's way too early for you to be bitching at me?" He countered. "My life, my choice. Don't like it, there's the door."

She stomped off; he smirked, glad to be rid of her for a few minutes. The door to the bunker squeaked open and he wondered if she actually left, but then, he heard Zoey's voice. "Put me down. This is not our house, love. Our house-"

"Is in Salem, I know. But we're staying here for a few days to see Dean. I haven't seen him in two weeks." He sounded excited. "Dean! We're back!"

Sam bounded in the kitchen, looking happier and tanner than Dean had ever seen his brother. Zoey followed behind him, also looking happy, but her skin was still freckly, albeit a bit tanner. Sam engulfed him in a tight hug. "Dude, get off me." Dean pushed his younger brother back, grinning. "Man, am I glad to see you. Get any?" Dean joked, glancing at Zoey.

Sam turned red. "Dude, really?"

"Course he did, unlike you." Zoey replied, giving her brother-in-law a hug as well.

"What's with the double dishes?" Sam asked curiously.

"Yeah, about that." Dean sighed as Aurora walked back in the kitchen.

"Winchester! There are more people here."

"Yeah, no shit, Sherlock." He snapped. "It's my brother and his wife."

"They're not shifters or demons, are they?"

"I'd love to see a demon possess my wife." Sam said wryly, earning a snicker from Dean. "Who're you?"

She raised an eyebrow. "Aurora Philips. You must be Sam." His name rolled off her tongue in something slightly less than pure contempt. "And you are?"

"Zoey Winchester." Zoey's tone was even.

"She's here because Castiel decided the bunker was the safest place for a Men of Letters legacy being hunted by a powerful witch." Dean tried to keep the frustration out of his voice.

"Who is it?" Zoey asked Dean, her brow furrowing.

"The daughter of Lucifer and Lilith."

Zoey's eyes widened. "What? She's supposed to be dead. If she's not and she's hunting her, the bunker isn't going to do much good."

"What do you know about the affairs of magic?" Aurora inquired rudely.

"More than you could possibly imagine." Her snarky reply was out of character for her. "I've got to check something." With that, Zoey rushed off.

"Where's she going?" Dean asked, confused.

Sam shrugged, taking a beer out of the fridge. "My guess is the library or dungeon to look for whatever she's wanting to know."

"If the Men of Letters had just annihilated all witches like they were going to do back in the forties, I wouldn't have this problem." Aurora stated.

Sam and Dean shot her a dirty look. "If the massacre had killed all the members, you wouldn't be here and I wouldn't have to put up with you." Dean quipped.

Zoey ran back in the kitchen, clutching an old book to her chest. "Sam, here." She dropped the book into his hands and began to flip through the pages.

"Careful with that. That's the property of the Men of Letters." Aurora said bossily.

"Shut up and no, it's not. It's my grandfather's." She stopped suddenly, running her finger down the page. "Aha! Lucifer and Lilith's daughter, Daeva, is the mother of all witches. She chose certain families to bless with more powers than others, but she was supposedly killed in 1865 after she possessed John Wilkes Booth and shot Lincoln." She was paraphrasing, but she stopped, looking for something else. "Here it is. '4 September 1943. I have sufficient proof of Daeva's continued existence, however, nothing I or any other members have can kill her. Will continue to search for something that can destroy her. Working with H. Winchester on this.' That's it. He penned it in the back of this book."

"Wait. Abraxas Bloodworth knew our grandfather?" Sam asked.

"Yes, Sam. The connections between our families go back even further than that. False accusations against Grandpa got him kicked out of the order, but he never betrayed them."

"Is he still alive?" Dean was excited for the first time in two weeks.

Zoey paused. "I have no idea. When Dad went psycho, he tried to kill him, throwing the Ministry into chaos, but I don't think he's dead. Give me five minutes and I'll find out where he's at."

Sam gently closed the book and sat it on the table. "Not even our second day back in the States and we have a case."

"Did you get bored in Europe, Sammy?"

The taller brother laughed. "Um, no. Actually, we're talking about going back to see more of the sights and less of the hotel room."

Dean clapped Sam on the back, just as Zoey returned. "I'll be back in a week, Sammy."

"Whoa, where are you going?"

"To Alaska with Connor to find my grandfather."


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter Three

Dean frowned at his brother as Sam resumed his pacing, waiting impatiently for Zoey to call him and tell him that she was on the way back to the bunker. Aurora rolled her eyes. "You'd think that with tainted blood, he wouldn't be so damn emotional."

Sam stopped dead in his tracks. "No one asked your opinion, bitch." He snarled, throwing himself into the chair beside Dean.

Dean snorted, high-fiving Sam. "Ten bucks you'll gank her before Z gets back."

"Don't tempt me. I honestly don't think I'd feel too bad about that."

"Lose your soul again or did you just never get it back from Lucifer?"

"One more smart comment from you and I'll lock your ass in the dungeon." Dean warned. "Should've done that the night Cas brought you here."

"You don't know anything, Winchester."

"I know you're a flat out bitch." He retorted. Sam sighed, tapping his large foot randomly. "Dude, stop it." Dean said irritably.

"What if something's wrong and he turns out to be just as twisted as Alexander was?" Sam worried. "Her own father tried to kill her, Dean! I shouldn't have let her go by herself."

"Sam, seriously. Zoey scares the hell out of angels and demons. She'll be fine."

Sam cracked a smile at the joke. "I know. It's just, you know, those witch's traps can't be broken easily."

Dean nodded. "I know, but you need to relax."

"How do you make a witch's trap?" Aurora asked curiously.

"Shut up, that's how." Dean and Sam said together.

Suddenly, Dean sat up as a Corvette's engine revved and cut off. Sam jumped out of his seat and ran to the door, looking almost exactly like an excited puppy. "Zoey!" He carried her into the living room, kissing her deeply. "I was worried about you."

"I'm assuming this young man is your husband, Zoey?" An older version of her father asked warmly.

She nodded as Sam gently put her down. "Sam, this is my grandfather, Abraxas. This is Henry Winchester's youngest grandson."

While they were talking, Dean popped a rubber band at Aurora's ass. "Winchester!" She shrieked. "Will you act like the adult you claim you are?"

"Only if you stop being a childish bitch."

Abraxas, to everyone's surprise, laughed heartily. "Well, well, this is familiar."

"What?" Sam asked as they moved into the living room.

"Henry used to do similar things to Millie, your grandmother. It was quite a shock when they ended up married."

"That's Dean, Grandfather, and that," Zoey attempted to keep the venom out of her voice, "is Aurora Philips."

"I should have known." He peered at Aurora. "She definitely has the Philips attitude."

"Was our grandmother involved with the Men of Letters, too?" Sam asked, sitting down on the couch beside Dean and Zoey.

"Heavens no. She was the local librarian and, since Henry was the best at outside research, he and I would go. The first time they met, she called him a prick. She definitely was feisty." He cleared his throat. "Now, why exactly did you come find me, dear?" He eased himself into the chair vacated by Sam.

"Daeva's after me." Aurora supplied. "We need to know how to kill her."

Abraxas face paled. "I'm afraid that's impossible."

Sam handed him the book Zoey had found his notes in. "You and Henry were working on a theory." Sam prodded.

He sighed. "I left all my work on that theory here for Henry to pursue when I was discharged from the order. Let me rest and in the morning, I'll try to find it. Meanwhile, Zoey, you might want to see if he knows anything."

"He who?" Dean demanded as Zoey nodded.

Zoey shot a look at Aurora. "A friend of mine." She said cryptically before she showed Abraxas to his room.

Sam made his signature bitch face at his wife when she paused at the living room entrance. "You coming, Sammy?"

"Do I have to?" He whined as Dean yanked him up.

"Yeah. I'm going too."

Then, all four walked down to the dungeon. Zoey closed her eyes as she spoke. "Lucifer, it's your favorite calling. Think you could wing it down here for a second?"

Suddenly, Lucifer himself appeared, looking eager. "Thank god you gave me an excuse to leave. Mike's about to drive me nuts." He complained, then his eyes landed on Sam and Zoey's rings. "Congratulations, Sammy. She's a hell of a woman." He cackled at his joke.

"Lucifer, be quiet." Zoey commanded and the fallen archangel fell silent. "How can we kill Daeva?"

He raised an eyebrow. "I can't, and neither can mortals or most witches."

Aurora scoffed. "So, she can't be killed? Great."

"I said most witches, Aurora. Zoey, however," he paused, "I think could do it."

Aurora's eyes widened and she scooted away from Zoey, horrified. "Um, what could I do that my own grandfather couldn't do?" Zoey asked.

Dean and Sam eyed her apprehensively as Lucifer's mouth fell open. "You don't know, do you? Well, I'll tell you that in order to kill my daughter, you need to dip the demon killing knife into a mixture of blood of an angel, demon, witch, and mortal. Or, you can be safe and mix the blood mixture up into pure silver bullets. Either way, it'll kill her."

Zoey tapped her chin thoughtfully, unaware of the stares she was receiving. "The spell would be at its greatest potency with yours, Lilith's, mine, and Aurora's blood, correct?"

"Very good." Lucifer smiled proudly at her. "Give me a few minutes and I'll come back with half of what you need."

When he disappeared, Dean cleared his throat. "How the hell is she supposed to kill the mother witch?"


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter Four

"She's a witch and you're letting her stay here?" Aurora yelled at Dean as soon as the foursome was back in the den. "She could be working for Daeva!"

"She's my sister-in-law, Philips, and she's harmless. Really." Dean looked at Sam for support.

"Um, yeah, totally." Sam said, unsure of himself.

"Guys, really! Whatever Lucifer said about me being able to kill her when others can't doesn't necessarily have anything to do with my powers." Zoey said, getting frustrated.

"Really?" Aurora turned her icy gaze to the witch and Dean frowned, moving to shelter her. "Why summon Satan in the first place? In case you missed it, his daughter's the one hunting me!"

"Don't worry, Lucifer hates Daeva." Zoey said calmly.

"It's true, you know." Lucifer handed a glass jar half full of blood to the witch. "Good luck."

As soon as he left, Dean spoke up. "He's supposed to be in the cage."

"Yeah, I know." Sam looked at his wife. "You don't think her calling to him got him out, do you?"

"He's been out as long as Michael has." Zoey answered. "There's another war going on in Heaven and, since the two archangels are the most powerful, Gabriel and Castiel let them out. They needed the reinforcements, believe me." She slice her palm, letting the thick red liquid drip into the jar. "Although Lucifer's not happy with Michael vanishing every three days to New Orleans for a night."

Dean threw himself into a chair. "Why couldn't Cas just told me this?" He muttered, pissed.

Sam shrugged, sitting down beside him. "Philips, come on. Your turn."

"You're not taking my blood for your little spell."

Zoey frowned and the bitch face she was giving Aurora was so much like Sam's, Dean cracked a smile. "We can do this two ways. You give it willingly, or I put you to sleep and get it anyways. Your choice."

"If you even try to put a spell on me-" Zoey snapped her fingers and Aurora crumpled to the floor, unconscious.

"Think you could leave her like that for a while? She's annoying." Dean asked jokingly as Zoey made a small cut on her hand and placed the jar under it.

"I'm not that mean." Zoey said. "Although, she was annoying me too."

"So, how are we or you going to get close enough to the mother witch to kill her?" Sam tapped his fingers on the table, thinking. "She could easily wipe us off the face of the earth."

"No idea." Zoey slid her finger over the cuts on her and Aurora's palms, healing them. She sat down beside Sam, screwing the lid back on the jar. "I still don't understand how I can kill her."

Dean yawned, looking at the clock. "I'll see you two weirdos tomorrow." He stepped over Aurora and crashed on his bed.

The next morning, he woke up to the smell of bacon and eagerly got out of bed. As he suspected, Zoey was fixing breakfast for everyone. "Morning, sunshine." She said cheerily, humming along to Back in Black on the radio.

"Morning. Need any help?"

"You wanna start the eggs?"

He heated the skillet up, dumping the already beaten eggs in there, stirring them for the fluffiest scrambled eggs. Abraxas soon joined them, pouring himself a cup of coffee and adding a shot of whiskey to it. "Nothing better than Irish coffee." He grinned, taking a drink. "Sam still sleeping?" Zoey nodded. He set his mug on the counter. "Who's Minister now that Alex is dead and I'm gone?"

"George Abernathy." She scowled. "He's an idiot, but I'm of age now, so their holding a week-long voting thing next month."

"There's a Minister of magic like in Harry Potter?" Dean asked curiously.

"It's different." Zoey flipped the bacon over. "The Ministry system we have is just to make sure no one's abusing their powers. However, sometimes, people slip through the cracks. Case in point: if the Minister's abusing their powers, there's no one above him or her to check. Plus, they're always available to people who have trouble with spells or something like that."

"You could get it?"

"They like to keep it in the family." She chuckled. "Grandpa was until Dad tried to kill him. Then, Dad took over, but when he died, it was more chaos. I wasn't of age, so it went to my stupid cousin. Although, with me being married to a hunter, I'm not sure if I'll get in."

Sam shuffled in, half-asleep, and yawned. "Coffee." He mumbled, reaching his hand out.

Zoey smiled and handed him her coffee mug. Sam drained it in one gulp and handed it back to her. He yawned again and leaned against the counter so he wouldn't fall over. Dean chuckled. "Late night, Sammy?"

Sam flipped him off. Abraxas just chuckled. "I'll get the table set."

When he left, Zoey took the bacon out of the skillet and walked over to Sam, asking him something quietly. Dean tried to hear, but he couldn't, until Sam replied. "Just worried, is all."

By then, the food was done and, Aurora came out of her room, also yawning. She eyed the breakfast warily. "Who cooked?"

"Z and I did." Dean answered.

"I'll pass." She sat down at the end of the table.

Zoey came out the kitchen, obviously hearing her snide remark, and the look in her emerald green eyes would've scared him, had she been looking at him. Instead, her gaze was on Aurora. "You need to fix your attitude toward witches. It's ridiculous and it's pissing me off. I'm busting my ass trying to save yours, but if you don't want my help, fine. I'll let Daeva have you."

She sat down beside Sam and began to eat.

Aurora stared at her, mouth open for a few minutes before she pulled a plate toward her and ate breakfast with them. Dean smirked, glad someone put the grumpy bitch in her place. Sam glanced at him and smirked too, but he could see the worry in his little brother's eyes. "It's not really busting your ass if Satan helped." Aurora muttered.

"His name is Lucifer, and I've been working a complicated tracking spell, trying to find her." Zoey snapped. "And, for your information, I did."

"You tracked her?" Sam asked, his forkful of eggs forgotten.

"Yes. She's in Oklahoma, causing all sorts of hell, so we should eat and go pack. We need to get there before she leaves." Zoey finished her food and, after putting her plate in the sink, she stopped in front of Aurora. "You're going with us."

"She wants to kill me!"

"Exactly. You're bait."


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter Five

Dean went out to the Impala, getting in the driver's seat. Zoey was riding shotgun, Sam's tablet in her hands. Sam and Aurora were in the back, and he noticed she was as far away from Sam as she could get. "You know, his weirdness isn't contagious." He said after they've been driving for an hour.

"Can't we listen to something other than classic rock?" She whined.

"House rules, Philips. Driver picks the music, everyone else shuts their pie holes." He reached over to turn the music up, but Zoey slapped his hand. "Hey! What gives?"

"The case, Dean. She's put a spell on this town, Wilburton, and anyone who enters it is affected. It's-wow. It's a fairytale curse."

"A what?" Dean snickered.

She rolled her eyes. "One month ago, this young girl's mauled in the woods by three bears. Then, a few days later, a girl on her way to her grandma's gets attacked by a wolf. After that, a teenager's stepmother poisoned her and she's in a coma, and then, another teenager loses her shoe at prom, which her stepmother forbade her to go to, and on the way home, she's run over. The most recent is a teenager's locked in the attic by her adoptive mom, but she's still alive."

"She's twisting them," Sam pointed out, "And we're going there?"

"Yup." Zoey smiled. "No worries. Dean and I mixed some of the blood in your silver bullets and we have the knife."

Three hours later, they pulled into the small town and got a motel room. Dean and Sam got dressed to go talk to police. "We'll be back soon." Sam told Zoey, kissing her goodbye.

"Why would a powerful witch put a fairytale curse on a town in the middle of nowhere?" Dean shook his head. It didn't make any sense.

"It's probably a trap." Sam suggested. "And we walked right in to it."

"Awesome." Dean frowned. "Let's just get this over with so we can rid of Aurora." When Sam didn't have a smart remark, Dean looked back. Sam was gone. "Sam? Sammy! What the hell is going on?"

Before he could take another step, he passed out. When he came to, there was a beautiful woman standing in front of him, with a dark elegance about her. "Dean Winchester, the pleasure of meeting you is all mine." She smiled. "My name is Daeva, and you already know one of my daughters. Zoey's smart, but she can't get you out of this."

He went to stand up, but he was chained to the wall. "Go to hell."

"I'd prefer not to." Daeva's skin was porcelain; her eyes black. "You see, Father doesn't really like me. He thinks I'm a bit…evil." She laughed. "Can you imagine that? Lucifer, the father of demons and witches alike, thinks I'm evil." She conjured a ball of glowing green light in her hand. "If you do get out of those chains, your princess is in the tower of the old mansion across town, in an eternal sleep, only to be woke by True Love's Kiss."

"What'd you do to Sam?" He growled, struggling to break free.

"He's the star of my favorite Disney film, _Beauty and the Beast_. I just hope poor Zoey can get there in time." She disappeared in flames, leaving Dean alone.

Dean groaned. There was no way in hell he'd get out of the chains. But suddenly, Castiel appeared, a bit confused. "Dean, why are you in chains?"

"Daeva."

"Oh." Castiel snapped his fingers and the chains fell off. "You need to find Aurora. She has less than an hour before she'll die."

Dean frowned as Castiel zapped them to an old mansion, with thorn bushes all around. "Wait, is this some twisted retelling of _Sleeping Beauty_?" He snorted. "No way in hell I'm kissing Aurora."

Castiel made a sword appear in Dean's hands. "Good luck."

With little choice, he started slashing and hacking his way to the mansion. He discarded the suit jacket, but the thorns ripped his shirt sleeves. He pushed forward. No matter how much he disliked Aurora, he wasn't going to let her die. Dean finally reached the door of the mansion, and pushing it open, he found Daeva. "Well, well. I am impressed. You're risking your life for someone you hate?"

"She's a pain in the ass, but she doesn't deserve to die. You do."

"You can't kill me with that." She pointed at the sword in his hand.

He dropped it. "You're right, but I can kill you this." He pulled out the blood soaked demon-killing knife and lunged at her.

Daeva sent a blast of air at him, knocking him into the wall. "That'll just piss me off, Dean, not kill me."

He heaved himself up. "What'd she ever do to you?"

"Her great-grandfather mistakenly thought he'd killed me with that knife in your hands. When I woke up, I swore revenge on the mighty Philips clan." She sneered, throwing a ball of fire at him.

He ducked, running at her again. To his surprise, a fire ball flew past him, hitting the witch in the chest. He turned around to see Zoey, her face illuminated by the flames in her palm. Daeva stumbled to her feet, shock and anger evident on her face. "How dare you!"

Zoey glared at the ancient witch. Without warning, a jet of water hit her and turned immediately to ice. Dean thought they'd won, but Daeva melted it. "You think you can defeat me, the mother of all who practice witchcraft?" The floor began to quake and Dean scurried up the stairs, needing to find Aurora.

He heard the crashes and felt the heat of fire from the battle below, but, as he threw his weight against the tower door, he stopped. Aurora lay on the only bed in the room, in an enchanted slumber. The only indication she was still alive was the gentle rise and fall of her chest. Dean never realized exactly how beautiful she was before then. Her lips, red as the rose clasped in her hands, and her hair golden as the amulet that hung around his neck. He shook his head, clearing it. No matter how gorgeous she was, she was still being a bitch for no reason and he wasn't kissing her. His belief in true love died long ago. Instead, he scooped her up in his arms just as three loud gunshots rang out and a terrible screech filled his ears. He ran back down and Zoey fell to her knees, holding her stomach. "Oh, god." Dean almost dropped Aurora.

"Go!" Zoey yelled.

Dean turned to see Daeva's lifeless body, blood seeping onto the floor. Then, he saw the bloody knife beside Zoey. "I'm not leaving here without you."

"Dean, go. Please."


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter Six

When Dean got back to the motel room, a disoriented Sam was sitting on the bed, looking around. "What happened?"

"The spell Daeva had on you broke. Zoey killed her." Dean carefully laid Aurora on his bed, avoiding Sam's gaze.

He was looking out the window, awaiting the return of his wife. Three long hours passed. "Dean, where's Zoey?"

"She might still be at the old mansion across town, you know, cleaning up." Sam nodded, leaving immediately. Dean looked down at Aurora. "I'm still not kissing you, so wake up, Philips."

"She's not going to, Dean." Castiel said, appearing behind him. "You have to kiss her."

"True Love's Kiss breaks it, not the kiss of a sorry ass hunter who couldn't even save his own sister-in-law."

Castiel's eyes widened. "Zoey's dead?"

"I-I think so."

"This is not good." Cas muttered, taking off.

Dean sighed and leaned down, pressing his lips to Aurora's. Her eyes fluttered open and she looked at him, shocked. "Huh." Dean said, sitting down on Sam and Zoey's bed. "Interesting."

"Is she dead?" Aurora asked suddenly.

"Daeva? Yeah."

"Oh." Aurora got to her feet, throwing the rose away. "I've always hated fairytales."

"Really? Me too." Dean stretched out, waiting for the inevitable.

She gave him a small smile before she disappeared into the bathroom. Fifteen minutes later, the shower still running, Sam slammed open the door, a very pale, bloody Zoey in his arms. He laid her gently on the bed, lifting up her shirt. The gash on her stomach had turned green and the young witch wasn't breathing. Sam swallowed back tears and began to rummage around for the first aid kit. Dean didn't have the heart to tell him it was no use.

The silence was unbearable until Aurora walked back in, a towel wrapped around her. "What happened to the witch?" She asked bluntly, although not rudely.

Sam said nothing; he kept trying to clean out the wound. Dean shrugged. "I have no idea."

"She's dead, isn't she?"

"NO!" Sam yelled. "She's not dead. She's just unconscious, right baby?" He kissed her forehead. "You're not going to die on me, you hear?"

Dean stood to his feet. "Get dressed. We'll go get something to eat, Sammy."

Aurora did and they left. She looked back through the window. "Will he be alright?"

"Why do you care?" Dean asked, irritated at himself.

She shrugged and they continued walking to the Corner Café, not far from their motel. After ordering the food, they walked back to find Sam sobbing, his fingers laced with Zoey's. "Are you hungry?" Dean asked, sitting down at the table.

Sam glared at Dean. "My wife is dead, Dean! No, I'm not fucking hungry!"

Aurora flinched, but continued to eat her sandwich. "Sam-"

"You left her there." He said accusingly.

"She told me to!"

"Since when do you do what someone tells you to?" Sam roared, yanking Dean to his feet. "You let her die, dammit!" He slammed Dean against the wall.

"Sam, let your brother go." Lucifer's quiet voice commanded. Sam whirled around, releasing Dean. He grabbed an angel blade out of his bag and started toward the fallen archangel. Lucifer gave him a small smile. "I'm sorry, Sam." Sam crumpled to the floor, angel blade still in his hand, and the angel stepped over him, leaning over Zoey.

"What killed her?" Dean asked, going back to the table.

"She accidentally cut herself with the knife, which I presume was dipped in the blood. It's one of the few ways to kill a witch." He hung his head. "I never meant for this to happen."

"Is Daeva really dead?" Aurora looked up at Lucifer.

"Yes. That is the bright side. You are safe from her." He knelt down beside Zoey and began to mutter in Enochian, his hand on her stomach.

A bright light shone around the devil and the witch, and Dean wondered if Lucifer really was all that bad. "Are you bringing the witch back?" Aurora asked curiously.

Lucifer nodded, his eyes closed in concentration. Sam began to stir, sitting up. His eyes widened as he took in the sight of the fallen angel trying to revive Zoey. Sam tossed the angel blade back into the duffel bag and stood up. Suddenly, Zoey coughed and her eyes opened. She looked at Lucifer, who got to his feet. "Thank you." He smiled, disappearing.

Sam rushed over to his wife, hugging her tightly. Tears fell as he realized just how close he'd come to burying her and even Dean felt a little tear fall. He wiped it away quickly. Zoey smiled at Sam, kissing his unshaven cheek. "I love you." Sam said, cupping her face in his palm.

"I love you too, Sam." She turned to Dean. "Please tell me there's a bacon cheeseburger in there for me. I'm starving."

Dean chuckled, handing her one. "I got two for me, so you can have this one."

Aurora cleared her throat. "Thank you, Zoey, for killing that wicked witch. I appreciate it."

"Piece of cake." Zoey took a big bite of her burger and the tension in the air vanished as they all finally ate.

"What do you three say we put this town in the rearview mirror and leave?" Dean said after he'd finished his burger.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter Seven

One month later, Dean and Aurora still hadn't talked about the fact that his kiss woke her. They were alone in the bunker as Sam and Zoey were in Salem for the time being. Aurora had started hunting with Dean on minor cases, proving her usefulness as a partner. However, when they weren't on a case, things were awkward, to say the least. Dean swore that the witch set the whole thing up and true love didn't exist, but Aurora wasn't so sure. He was waiting on a call from his dad to let him know everything was alright, but his phone wouldn't ring. It was well after one in the morning and he finally gave up on the call. Making his way to his bedroom, he heard Aurora tossing and turning in her room. He paused, pushing the door open to check on her. She whimpered, pulling her blanket closer to her and, without hesitating, Dean stepped inside. "You okay?" He whispered, brushing her hair out of her face.

She jumped at the touch, hitting her head on the headboard. "I'm fine." She answered shortly, but Dean saw through the lie.

"Really? What was the nightmare about?"

"You wouldn't understand."

"Try me." He challenged, sitting down on her bed.

She pulled her knees up to her chest, playing with her hair. "It was about the night Castiel and Gabriel brought me here." She took a deep breath. "Have you ever watched someone you love die without being able to do anything about it?"

He nodded. "Too many times to count."

"It's a horrible feeling, standing there frozen to the floor, while their life flickers before your eyes." She continued on as if she hadn't heard him. "My whole family, in one night, was gone, and I couldn't do a damn thing about it!" Tears fell onto the blanket and Dean reached out, taking her small hand in his own. "The worst one was my brother." She glanced up at Dean. "He was only four. The sweetest kid ever, and the shapeshifter-it looked like Dad and Tyler didn't know any better. He wrapped his arms around its legs and the shifter put a bullet through his head. He never knew it wasn't Dad."

"I'm sorry." Dean said finally, squeezing her hand. "I'll let you get back to sleep."

He was at the door when he heard it. "Stay, please."

He turned around and laid down beside her. She rested her head on his chest and fell straight asleep. He followed suit soon after.

"Dean? You here?" His dad's voice seemed too far away to be real, but Dean still woke up.

He glanced at the blonde beside him, curled into his chest like they were a couple. He carefully moved her arms and got out of her bed, going to see his dad. "Morning, son." John said lightly. "Sleep well?"

"Time?" Dean asked groggily.

"Almost ten."

Dean's eyes fully opened at that. He never slept in past eight, unless he was sick. The two went to the kitchen and got two beers out, sitting at the table. "How'd the case go?"

"Typical. Garth managed to get himself knocked out ten minutes after finding the demon." John chuckled. "He's good, though, when he's conscious. How's Sam and Zoey?"

"Good. They're in Salem right now." Dean took a drink of his beer.

Light footsteps brought both men's attention to Aurora. "Morning, sleeping beauty." Dean smirked. That was his new name for her after the fairytale incident, not to mention she looked a lot like the fair princess from the movie, or so he'd heard.

She yawned, walking past him to make a cup of coffee. "Why do you drink so much?"

"Because I hate my liver." He retorted, not able to resist the urge to check her out. "I'm going to die one day anyways."

"If you want help with that, I'd be glad to do it for you." She replied, although there was a lightness to her tone as she sat down.

"Dad, that's Aurora Philips." Dean introduced quickly, taking another sip of beer.

"Oh. I seem to remember you wanted her gone."

"She's nicer now."

Aurora's leg bumped his under the table. "You must be John. I've heard a lot about you."

"Not all of it good, I'm afraid." He smiled at her. "It's good meeting you, but I must be getting to bed. I'm exhausted."

After he left to go sleep in Dean's room, Aurora spoke. "I'm sorry about last night. I just…needed someone to talk to."

"It's nothing to apologize for. I know where you're coming from, so if you need to talk again, hit me up." He flashed her a grin. "Just don't literally hit me."

Suddenly, his phone rang. "Hey."

"Sam, he's on the phone with me! Quit trying to call him!" Zoey yelled, causing Dean to grin. "Sup, Prince Charming?"

"Nothing, Maleficent." He smirked, knowing that he'd probably get hexed or hit for that. "How'd the voting go?"

There was a tussle on the other end and Sam's voice in his ear told him Sam was probably holding the phone out of Zoey's reach. "Dude, really? She calls you once and you pick up? I've been trying you since seven this morning."

"Um, I like her more. And you might want to give her back the phone before she hexes you or makes sex off limits."

"That'd suck." Sam agreed. "Talk to you later, bro."

"Dean! I won!" Zoey cheered. "You're talking to the new Minister!"

"Hey, that's awesome!" He finished off his beer. "Congratulations, Z."

"Thank you. Now, I have to meet my advisors and blah, blah, blah. Stay out of trouble."

They hung up, and Dean caught a glimpse of Aurora disappearing through the library doors. He didn't realize he had been staring at the doors for a couple of hours until John tapped him on the shoulder. "You like her, don't you?"

"What?" He sputtered, turning around to face his dad. "That's completely ridiculous."

"Is it?" John countered, sitting down.

Dean sighed. He knew his dad was right, but there was no way he would tell her.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter Eight

"Dean?"

He grunted, opening his eyes to see who was interrupting his sleep. Aurora stood awkwardly in the doorway, a blanket wrapped around her shoulders. "Another nightmare?" He asked, scooting over in his bed to make room for her.

She nodded, sitting down beside him. "Do they ever go away?"

"Sleeping with someone usually helps." Dean said truthfully. "But, no they won't."

Aurora sighed. "That sucks."

Dean wrapped his arm around her, pulling her close to his chest. "Yeah, it does. You just got to find someone who'll keep them at bay."

"You're not so bad, Winchester." She lightly teased. "I think my dad would've liked you."

"Really?" He looked down at her. "What was he like?"

"Well, to be honest, he wasn't home a lot, but he was trying to build the order back up, and hunting occasionally. But when he was home, he'd tuck me in and read me stories. He never forgot to tell me he loved me, either."

"Sounds like a great dad."

She nodded again. "He was. He always wanted me to have as normal a life as possible and I took dance lessons all my life, along with playing basketball from elementary to high school. He never missed a single recital or game." Aurora wiped a tear away.

Dean yawned. "How about, in the morning, we go to the park and play one-on-one? Whoever doesn't get a basket has to tell something we don't know about each other."

"Sounds fun."

They settled down, Dean keeping his arm around her. When they woke up in the morning, Dean choose a pair of dark denim jeans and his rarely used Converse. Aurora met him in the living room dressed in a loose t-shirt and denim cut-off shorts, completing the look with her worn in Converse. On the way to the park, he picked up a couple doughnuts and water. Aurora pulled her hair back in a ponytail, dribbling the ball on the court while he quickly ate his breakfast. "Game on, Philips." He called, joining her on the court.

After only two minutes, she'd managed to score the first basket. He groaned as she tossed him the ball. "Alright, um, I've been to Heaven, Hell, and Purgatory." He finally said, starting the game back.

He got the ball away from her and scored the second basket. "I've never been kissed while conscious."

"Seriously? When you're not bitchy, you're pretty." He remarked before he realized what he'd said.

"I could say the same thing about you." She took the ball back, scoring a perfect three pointer.

"I've never told a woman I loved her, except my mom and my sister."

"Not surprising." Aurora commented, making another basket, and laughed at Dean's expression.

"I've watched a few chick flicks to get laid." He easily shot the basketball over her head.

She rolled her eyes. "I've never been on a date."

Dean laughed. "You're lying."

"No, I'm not." She flushed. "I wasn't interested in guys while I was in school. I was trying to get into a good college."

They played for a couple more hours before Dean stopped her. "Want to go see the new Iron Man movie with me tonight?"

He knew his question had caught her completely off guard, as her mouth flew open. "Are you asking me out on a date?"

"If you say yes then it is."

She eyed him. "Why would I want to go on a date with you?"

"I'm Batman." He grinned. "Oh, and not to mention the small fact that my kiss broke the spell Daeva put on you."

"True. I guess I could see if you really are my brave prince." She said cheekily.

"I'm far from a noble prince but I am brave." He tossed the basketball back to her and they went back to the bunker to get ready.

He worried about what to wear, thought about calling Sam, then shook the traitorous thought away, finally deciding on a white button-up he only wore for impersonating federal agents, a pair of black slacks because all his jeans have holes in them, and his loafers, again only for impersonations. He frowned down at his clothes, stripping. God, why was this so hard? It's not like this was his first date. _But Aurora's gorgeous and you like her._ Bullshit. He sighed. Was this how it was to go down, him arguing with himself on whether he liked a woman or not?

Finally, he found a clean, black t-shirt and, miraculously, a pair of Sam's jeans that had gotten too small for him and were in perfect condition. He made sure he had deodorant and clean underwear, then went to the living room to wait for Aurora.

When she came down, she was wearing a simple, strapless dress with a black corset top and gray skirt with black leather sandals. Her hair fell past her shoulder blades and when she truly smiled at him, Dean's heart raced. "You ready?"

"Yup." She said, letting Dean act the perfect gentleman as he opened the passenger door of the Impala for her.

Dean couldn't remember anything that happened during _Iron Man 3_. The only thing he could recall is the fact that she was sitting close, her arm almost touching his. He took a deep breath, wondering when he became such a freaking girl. When they walked in the diner and she ordered a bacon cheeseburger meal, he laughed, ordering the same thing. "Something funny?" She asked.

"Not at all." He grinned, finally relaxing. "I just respect a woman who's not afraid to eat."

"Thank you." She tucked a stray strand of hair behind her ear. "So, what was with the spontaneous asking me out on a date?"

Dean turned nervous, shifting in his seat. "Just thought it was a good idea."

The waitress came with their food, trying to catch Dean's eye, but he ignored her and they ate in relative silence. Aurora's foot kept bumping his and she grinned up at him.

He drove back to the bunker, again helping her with the door. "I had a good time tonight." She said, looking at him with something unreadable in her violet eyes.

"Me too." And for once, it wasn't a lie just to score with the woman. Dean cupped her face in his hands and slowly brought his lips to hers, judging her reaction.

Their first kiss was incredible. Aurora's lips moved in perfect synchronization with his, and when he broke away for lack of air, it left them both wanting more.


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter Nine

Dean quickly downed the rest of his beer, throwing the bottle in the garbage can. For the moment, he was alone, as Aurora had went to the airport to pick Sam up, which was perfect for him, as it was her birthday. He turned the oven off and pulled the apple pie he'd slaved over out of the oven to let it cool. After checking to make sure there was plenty of ice cream and liquor, he went to his room, searching for her present. Dean had picked it out a couple weeks ago and hid it in his room, but now, he couldn't find it. "Son of a bitch." He muttered, slamming the last drawer on his dresser shut. The necklace wasn't in his underwear drawer after all.

Suddenly, the silence was broken by Sam's loud laugh. "You're kidding!"

"Absolutely not, Sam."

Aurora's cheery voice startled Dean and in his haste to see them, he hit his head on the closet door. "Son of a bitch!" He rubbed his forehead, still trying to remember where exactly he'd hid the present. "Hey, Sammy." He grinned at his brother and then, at once, he remembered where it was.

He rushed down the hall to Sam's room and began to search. He checked under the bed, finding nothing except a few used condoms, and a gray pair of boxers. He curled his lip in disgust and turned his attention to the top drawer. There, nestled under yet another pair of Sam's boxers and a black, lacy thong which Dean hoped to God was Zoey's, was the red box with a black bow tied neatly around it. He let out a breath, slipping the box in his pocket, and returned to the dining room. "Why do I smell pie?" Sam asked, slipping his phone into his pocket.

Dean ignored the question and looked at his girl. "Happy Birthday, Rori."

"You remembered?" She and Sam asked at the same time, but Sam was a little upset and Aurora was ecstatic.

"Sam, do you have a problem?" He gave his brother the signature bitch face.

"Dude, you've known me all my life and you still have trouble remembering my birthday."

"Yeah, well, you're my brother." Dean dismissed his comment and handed Aurora the box.

She carefully untied the bow and took the lid off the box. "Dean, it's gorgeous!"

It was a gold infinity necklace with a genuine amethyst at the center of it and he carefully clasped it around her neck. "Does this mean you're finally going to quit bugging Zoey about making a clone?" Sam joked.

Dean nodded. "I think so." He then pulled her in for a heart stopping, everything he couldn't say kiss.

Castiel and Gabriel watched from Heaven, gleeful smiles on both their faces. "He's finally happy." Castiel said, a hint of sadness in his voice.

"Took them long enough to stop being so damn stupid, though. And, we're still going to get killed by Cupid if he realizes we broke in to find Dean's soul mate." Gabriel patted his little brother on the shoulder. "It's worth it, though, to have just a little bit more love in the world."

"Yeah." Cas agreed, stretching his black wings out behind him. "So, off to bring love to our last Winchester?"

Gabriel jumped up. "Mission: Winchester Love, Part 3 is a go." He grinned at Cas. "So, did you look at hers, too?"

Castiel nodded, getting to his feet. "I just hope Sam and Dean accept Emily's true mate."

"They better." The archangel then disappeared. Cas sighed and followed suit.


End file.
